5 simple Ways Your Business Can Save Energy

by Adam on April 20, 2016

From the use of energy-efficient compressor head pumps to changing employee practices, there are many ways in which the average business can go about saving energy. Doing so is good for the environment and also a great way to keep overheads to a minimum.

Some of the most effective ways to reduce your business’s energy usage, cutting both your bills and the size of your carbon footprint, include:

These pumps serve important purposes; however, by their nature, they can be relatively energy-intensive. Switching to the most energy-efficient models and ensuring that you do not use pumps that provide more power than you reasonably need for the application in question can potentially save your business significant amounts of energy.

Change your energy practices

Some of the major business energy suppliers have recently been stressing the value of changing employee energy practices in saving businesses money on their energy bills. Changing practices is often overlooked when compared with changing to more energy-efficient equipment and appliances, but both can be extremely valuable in reducing energy usage.

Ensuring lights, computers, monitors and other items of electrical equipment are turned off when the office is not in use can save an organisation significant amounts of energy and noticeably cut bills. For computers and similar appliances, this means turning them off fully and not just putting them on standby.

Turning the heating down by just a single degree can see savings of up to 10% in associated energy usage. On the subject of heating, double glazing and improved building insulation can also significantly cut wasted energy and reduce the portion of your bill associated with keeping the office warm.

Water usage

Water usage is another factor that is often underappreciated in terms of the role it can play in inflating your bills. Water wastage is often significant in both businesses and households, which is reflected in the resulting water bills. Furthermore, when the water in question is hot water, this also pushes up your gas bill as a result of the energy taken to heat the water.

Being wise in water usage and encouraging employees not to be wasteful, such as always ensuring that taps are turned off fully, can go a long way. Urinals can also be a particular culprit when it comes to wasting water. You should ensure they are not flushing themselves overnight when they are not actually in use, with devices that prevent unnecessary urinal flushing paying for themselves within months.

Maintenance

Keeping your building in good condition can be a very useful way to save energy. Draughty windows and doors, or ones that do not properly keep out the cold, can cause significant heat loss and require more energy to be expended on heating to maintain comfortable temperatures.

Leaking pipes and dripping taps can waste significant amounts of water over time and, if these form part of the hot water system, can also lead to energy wastage. Keeping on top of such repairs can help to reduce your bills noticeably, with the repair costs often cheaper than they would be if the problem is left and allowed to worsen.